On This Day In History: Thomas Cromwell Arrested In Westminster – On June 10, 1540

AncientPages.com - On June 10, 1540, Thomas Cromwell was arrested in Westminster and sent to the Tower of London.

An Act of Attainder convicted him of heresy and treason, but it also denied Cromwell the right to a fair trial where he could defend himself.

Portrait of Thomas Cromwell. Image credit: Hans Holbein the Younger- The Frick Collection - Public Domain

Cromwell served as Henry VIII’s chief minister from 1533 to 1540. He gained a reputation as an evil politician who, like Cardinal Wolsey, would do anything to advance himself and his power and wealth of Henry.

Cromwell is most associated with the dissolution of the monasteries and the controversy surrounding this event.

However, whether he deserved his negative reputation has been long debated.

Thomas Cromwell was born around 1485. He was the son of a brewer and blacksmith.

He spent much of his early adult life abroad, whether as a soldier in Italy or a merchant in Antwerp.

Cromwell trained as a lawyer; by the 1520’s he was working for Cardinal Wolsey as a general manager. When Wolsey fell from royal favor in 1529, Cromwell remained faithful to his old employer and Henry VIII.

On this day, Sir Thomas Cromwell attended a Privy Council meeting that would be like no other for him.

Here, the Duke of Norfolk led a small group of followers along with the Captain of the Guard to arrest Cromwell on the accusation of treason. When Cromwell saw the approaching guard, he threw his hat on the table angrily at what was about to happen.

It is believed that Norfolk and Southampton tore the Garter badge of St George from Cromwell’s clothes, and he was taken to a barge and onto the Tower of London.

Cromwell’s arrest came after he had fallen out of favor with King Henry VIII. Henry had recently married Anne of Cleves, who was selected for him by Cromwell.

Henry did not like Anne and wanted to get out of the arrangement and later the marriage.

However, Cromwell could not find a suitable way. It angered the King, who was then easily swayed into believing that Cromwell was a heretic and a traitor.

Stripped of all honors and titles, he was now known as Thomas Cromwell, a cloth carder.

A list of accusations in Cromwell’s indictment included supporting Anabaptists, protecting Protestants accused of heresy, and failing to enforce the Act of Six Articles.

The accusation of heresy was enough for Henry to approve Cromwell’s death, but only after his marriage to Anne of Cleves was over.

Thomas Cromwell was executed at Tyburn on July 28, 1540.

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